News :: News Columns

Political Notebook: Out candidates Kumagai, Franco-Clausen enter East Bay Assembly race

Political Notebook: Out candidates Kumagai, Franco-Clausen enter East Bay Assembly race

  • by Matthew S. Bajko
  • Jan 10, 2022

Two more out candidates are officially entering the 2022 race for the East Bay's open 20th Assembly District seat.

Political Notes: Wiener remaining neutral in special SF Assembly race

Political Notes: Wiener remaining neutral in special SF Assembly race

  • by Matthew S. Bajko
  • Jan 10, 2022

One LGBTQ political leader is noticeably absent from the endorsement lists for the four candidates running in the special election for San Francisco's open state Assembly seat.

Jock Talk: News flash: B.A.R. sports columnist retires

Jock Talk: News flash: B.A.R. sports columnist retires

  • by Roger Brigham
  • Jan 5, 2022

I wrote my first sports column for the Bay Area Reporter 15 years ago this week.

Political Notebook: In House, gay attorney Rollins could represent Palm Springs area

Political Notebook: In House, gay attorney Rollins could represent Palm Springs area

  • by Matthew S. Bajko
  • Jan 5, 2022

Due to the oddly-shaped congressional district that Palm Springs has been drawn into, the LGBTQ retirement and tourist mecca could see it be represented by a gay former federal prosecutor come 2023.

Out in the World: Hong Kong lesbian pop star Denise Ho out on bail after arrest

Out in the World: Hong Kong lesbian pop star Denise Ho out on bail after arrest

  • by Heather Cassell
  • Jan 5, 2022

Hong Kong lesbian Cantopop singer and pro-democracy activist Denise Ho is out on bail following her arrest late last month.

Political Notebook: Op-art trots out a trying 2021

Political Notebook: Op-art trots out a trying 2021

  • by Matthew S. Bajko
  • Dec 29, 2021

Whimsy and weariness take center stage in the Political Notebook's op-art offering for 2021.

Jock Talk: Sports events that happened (and didn't) in 2021

Jock Talk: Sports events that happened (and didn't) in 2021

  • by Roger Brigham
  • Dec 29, 2021

Years are remembered not just by the things that happened during them and our reflection on which of those events we celebrate and those that we wish had not occurred.

News Briefs: New postage stamp honors pioneering sculptor

News Briefs: New postage stamp honors pioneering sculptor

  • by Cynthia Laird
  • Dec 29, 2021

The U.S. Postal Service is issuing its latest Black Heritage forever stamp next month, and it features Edmonia Lewis, the first African American and Native American sculptor to earn international recognition in the Western art world.

Out in the World: Mixed record on LGBTQ rights across the world in 2021

Out in the World: Mixed record on LGBTQ rights across the world in 2021

  • by Heather Cassell
  • Dec 29, 2021

The year started out on a hopeful note. The world was looking forward to getting past a dark period in America's leadership and the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Out in the World: LGBTQ refugees in Kenya seize micro-business opportunities

Out in the World: LGBTQ refugees in Kenya seize micro-business opportunities

  • by Heather Cassell
  • Dec 22, 2021

Some African LGBTQ refugees are finding new hope in Kenya through the Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration's livelihoods programs.

Political Notebook: Endorsements pour in for Garcia's House bid

Political Notebook: Endorsements pour in for Garcia's House bid

  • by Matthew S. Bajko
  • Dec 22, 2021

With various other potential candidates backing him, and two influential LGBTQ rights groups endorsing him hours after he made his candidacy official, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia is the clear frontrunner to succeed Congressmember Alan Lowenthal.

LGBTQ Agenda: Catholic diocese criticized for banning LGBTQs from sacraments

LGBTQ Agenda: Catholic diocese criticized for banning LGBTQs from sacraments

  • by John Ferrannini
  • Dec 21, 2021

Bishop John Francis Doerfler of the Catholic Diocese of Marquette, in Michigan, is receiving criticism from LGBTQ Catholics and their allies for seeking to bar them from the sacrament of Holy Communion.

Political Notes: San Diego-based website aims to educate voters

Political Notes: San Diego-based website aims to educate voters

  • by Matthew S. Bajko
  • Dec 20, 2021

Ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, a San Diego-based website is aiming to educate voters about their congressional representatives.

News Briefs: Foundation donates $158K to LGBTQ groups

News Briefs: Foundation donates $158K to LGBTQ groups

  • by Cynthia Laird
  • Dec 15, 2021

The Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation recently donated $158,000 to several LGBTQ nonprofits after what organizers called a successful year despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.